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UltraCap™ LPS-1 LISTENING IMPRESSIONS thread


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The difference is that there is no current in USB cable. Of course I'm not sure about the effect in your system.

 

If your DAC does not need the 5V feed from USB, there will be no current in the cable whether the 5V line is connected or not.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I may have missed it, but I have not seen a direct comparison between the LPS-1 and the Sonore Signature Series Power Supply powering microRendu. Can anybody direct me to a comparison review?

 

Vangelis: Please feel free to contact me directly (PM) for some information on this topic. We have received some feedback from our Sonore customers on this question. As I work with Sonore, and have not made the comparison myself, I do not feel it appropriate to post the info here. Remember, the Sonore Signature Supply is purpose built to provide the best performance possible from the µRendu, regardless of cost (for the most part), and not to be a supply with flexibility for other products.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The only "better" 2.1mm barrel connectors I'm aware of are the Oyaide DC-2.1G, however they were always difficult to find in the U.S. and the authorized sellers now say they are discontinued and to be replaced with a newer version at some point by Oyaide, but then no further details for months.

 

I ordered these from VH Audio after speaking directly with the U.S. importer, he said while he would special order them from Japan, they were a limited production run and never intended for the U.S. market, and would probably vanish quickly.

 

Looks like that happened, though I'd bet sellers in Japan still have them and you might find those on eBay among a ton of other non-genuine article counterfeits. (hint: if it ships from China its likely a fake).

 

My understanding is that the Oiyade DC barrel connectors are still made of brass, which makes me doubt the are any better than a decent US sourced connector such as those from Switchcraft. Does anyone know of a DC barrel connector made of copper? Brass is a terrible conductor compared to copper, copper and silver are very close, but brass has double the resistance of copper.

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While I only used generic plugs and common wire, I can confirm that shorter lengths of wire between the LPS-1 and my USB box make a significant improvement in SQ. It's a bit of a head scratcher, why. An adapter is on the way.

 

DC power supplies are very sensitive to cable length, as the length slows the supply down. In fact, I much prefer onboard supplies in my DIY work for this reason. The closer the supply is to the load, the better the supply will perform.

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Did I ever mention that I hate people that can solder Oyaide DC plugs with success? ? I made a mess with mine and was "forced" to buy a longer one from Purefonics. Still waiting for it to arrive to know the actual lenght (but guessing 20-25cm).

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Haha! Remember that solder joint quality will also effect performance a bad solder joint will negate any advantage of good wire. If you think soldering to the Oiyade DC connector is difficult, try soldering to a micro USB plug, yikes! I made a nice little Micro USB cable for my Mojo with Jupiter silver in cotton wire for the signal, and Jupiter copper in cotton for the ground and conductor, it works great, but I think I may never try and solder a micro USB again!.

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BTW, I would be happy to help out folks who might want a custom length, high quality DC cable (by PM).

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Thanks, what's ERS paper?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

ERS paper is an RF damping material made of paper and carbon fibers coated with metals, available from Stillpoints.

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  • 1 month later...
Almost all the components on the board are there for functionality, not current draw. There are only something like 4 components that would change if the max current was decreased, and that would probably save something like one dollar, not the large price decrease you were hoping for.

 

The cost of engineering, prototypes, testing etc. necessary to produce this version would be far greater than the cost savings of downsizing those few components. Definitely not worth it.

 

John S.

 

Yeah, I think it is important to point out that the µRendu also appears to draw a lot more current, albeit briefly, at boot up. And if one has a DAC which draws significant current from the USB power, the µRendu is going to use more than 400 mA, potentially a lot more. Additionally, no power supply performs its best when loaded right to its limit, just like a power amp, a regulated power supply will offer higher performance when allowed to run with some headroom. I think that the 1A max current capability of the LPS-1 is already at the lowest level i would advise for powering the µRendu in all situations.

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Hi Barrows:

 

I agree that a smaller version of our supply is neither cost-effective or desirable. But as to the rest of your post, I somewhat disagree.

 

a) Here is a post with pics of the current draw of a microRendu powering an entirely bus powered DAC/headphone amp (the popular iFi micro iDSD), drawing 0.85A total. And at boot up my microRendu never draws anywhere near 400mA.

 

b) I have never seen evidence that a properly designed, regulated LPS being run near its continuous-max rating is any noisier or less capable of handling transients that it is say at 50% of its rating. The UltraCap LPS-1 can deliver a continuous 1.1A and handle transients well above that. Part of the reason we chose to use ultra-capacitors is that their low impedance allows for fast transient response.

 

Given that at least 300 of our current 1,000 LPS-1 owners are delightedly using them to power microRendus--many of them even using a "Y" cable to simultaneously power another device (an FMC, LANRover, etc.)--it seems pretty clear that our compact and isolated unit is plenty potent enough for the purpose. There is also a rapidly growing number of SOtM sMS-200 users using the UltraCap LPS-1 to help that Ethernet streamer realize its fullest potential as a galvanically isolated source (though I advise people not to hang big bus-powered hard drives off the sMS-200's spare USB port).

 

Hope you are having a great weekend. Must be tons of snow where you are. Are you hitting the slopes? ;)

 

Best,

 

--Alex C.

 

Hi Alex,

 

By no means did I mean to imply that the LPS-1 was inadequate to the task of powering the µRendu under any circumstances, i think that should be clear from my post. My point was that I would not recommend a "smaller version" of lower current capability to power the µRendu.

I agree, around 800-900 mA is probably about the maximum current the µRendu would draw powering a bus powered DAC, that is indeed a pretty heavy load for the regulator in the LPS-1. Most voltage regulators have output noise which rises with output current level, there is probably a curve for this for the reg used in the LPS-1 output on the TI data sheet. Voltage regulators are akin to power amplifier circuits, and like most power amplifiers, their noise rises with output power level.

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Agreed across the board. The TPS7A** regs are great integrated parts. I use them as well in my DAC for the pre-reg to both the DAC PCB, and USB PCB. I also really like the AD 7150 to, but as Alex notes it is not capable of the same current output as the TPS7A**. Of course all of these regs work better depending on the implementation (filter and decoupling caps esp.) and I am sure John Swenson has done a very good job of this in the LPS-1, as usual!

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Clearly option one. Connection from Regen or mRendu needs to be a short as possible.

 

Sent using Computer Audiophile app.

 

I would not be so sure. this is going to depend on a lot of factors, USB cable quality, USB input quality on the DAC. There is no easy answer here without trying different options. DC cable length matters as well, so it is not as simple as saying: "short USB is best".

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  • 2 years later...

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